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Destination St. Lawrence Market Toronto

The St Lawrence Market on the corner of Front Street East and Jarvis in downtown Toronto is a must stop for foodies. Whatever the weather is outside, it’s warm and wonderful in the old building. A public market has been on this spot since 1803 with farmers and vendors bringing in the freshest foods and products for sale.

There are cheese purveyors with hard and soft varieties. The French counter features Camembert, Brie de Meaux, Roquefort, Reblochon , Muenster, Pont l’Évêque, and Époisses. There are wheels of Swiss Formaggini, Appenzeller, Scharfe Maxx, Emmentaler and Sbrinz. And, many more from England and Italy.

Vendors offer produce from all over Canada and USA. How beautiful to walk down the aisles with mountains of fresh table ready fruit and vegetables. The fragrance of fresh berries, citrus and mushroom opens the senses. The day may be blustery and cold outside, but the chocolate dipped strawberries will soon chase away the blues.

The people of Toronto seem to be especially keen on olives. The fragrance of many varieties scented the air. There were three large olive bars with sampling encouraged. Alongside were luscious mounds of stuffed grape leaves and prosciutto wrapped around soft cheeses.

The meats and fish markets are well stocked offering so many choices for dinner. A taste for the exotic? No problem. One vendor offered packaged wild boar, kangaroo, ostrich and other game meats from Australia. How inspiring to the weekend chef. Imagine having this lovely market to walk into on Saturday afternoons, strolling around the aisles, really perks up the possibilities. Need a gadget? Not to worry, if there’s a tool for cooking, that could be found too.

The breads are fresh from the oven. Take home what you like be it brioche, boules, challah, focaccia or chapati. It’s also convenient to buy fresh roast chicken, pizza, or the local favorite, a pea meal bacon sandwich! Everything is market ready. Nothing sits around here very long.

Of course, be sure to go downstairs and feast the eyes and palate with the beautiful pastry display. Try the rumble crumble tart, I highly recommend this lovely treat. Stop at the Ukraine market in the back. Look at the vendor offering so many varieties of fresh ground flour! All the choices in coffee and tea.

Stop in Inti Taita Impressions and meet Silvia. She sells the loveliest garments from Peru. The fabrics are 100% organic pima cotton and baby alpaca. Gorgeous dresses, shirts, and scarfs for women and children.

There is so much to see and enjoy with musicians entertaining the crowd from every corner. The market is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Stop in and plan to stay for several hours. It’s unique and a lot of fun.

Vextroverts – Walking into walls

Beacon Hill lawmakers may need to amend the ban on texting while driving in Massachusetts to include the words “and walking.” A common site on the street now is a person walking along with eyes focused on a smart phone. No stopping, no looking, no thinking. They are called petextrians, smombies, iPhone idiots or clueless. Vextroverts are on the loose.

Psychologists have identified social interactive styles. Extraverts crave stimulation and recognition in the crowd. Introverts enjoy internal musing and quiet ways away from the crowd. Most of us are somewhere in between. Now we have a new distinct breed of human called: vextrovert – a person who only interacts with an electronic device wherever they may be to the vexation of everyone else. The age range tends toward the millennial realm. However, the other day during the morning commute, a preteen was in full petextrian mode while her feet carried her toward school. Whatever happened to teaching a child to look both ways before crossing a street?

Massachusetts Highway Safety Division is participating in the National Distracted Driving Enforcement Campaign: U Drive, U Text, U Pay. Police Departments will step up enforcement of this law from April 10 -15, 2016. Outdoor digital billboards will be used to educate the public. What about also stopping the fool on the street texting along bumping into people and immovable objects. A slow-moving, weaving person is a bore to be behind and worse when they step off the curb.

Critics can blame the device. Some blame the parents. A smart phone is designed to be user-friendly and fun. How often do we see a parent put the thing in the kids hand as a pacifier? “A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.” Douglas Adams

The situation is a serious public safety concern. Geoffrey A. Fowler writing in The Wall Street Journal says “…emergency room visits involving distracted pedestrians using cellphones were up 124% in 2014 from 2010 and up 10 fold from 2006.” The problem is not confined to the United States. Research at an Australia’s University of Queensland even measured the walking speed of regular pedestrians and petextrians. Road signs in Stockholm warn drivers about petextrians.

Naturalist Charles Darwin established the theory of natural selection. Species evolve and those changes in an organism that most benefit survival will be passed on to offspring. Vextroverts may be a short-lived aberration due to their habit of walking out in traffic while texting. Can’t we see the headline? Petextrian Run Over by Texting Driver. Would it be bizarre if the investigation revealed they were texting each other?

Destination Allan Gardens Toronto

While visiting the northern city of Toronto, take a break from all that glass and steel to visit the Allan Gardens. The conservatory is a delightful refuge from the hustle of busy streets. There are five greenhouses including a palm and cacti house.

The tropical house includes a turtle and koi pond. A paddle wheel gently stirs the water making a sweet splashing sound. Enjoy bromeliads and orchids, shrimp plants and ficus vines.

The second house has a delightful pair of topiary bunnies. They spend their days gazing at Leda and the Swan sculpture in the shallow pond. The house is filled with cineraria, primula, seasonal hyacinth and jonquils.

Stroll along the pathways and enjoy this garden under glass. Admission is free!

Hours are Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On Jarvis Street, Toronto Canada